Ashley Judd Being Discussed As Possible Senate Candidate In '14

The political scheming never stops. Just two days after many of us headed to the polls to cast our ballots for various candidates, strategists all across the country are already figuring out who to support on election day two years from now. In Kentucky, the most important item on the agenda is Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat. The powerful Republican didn’t exactly crush a pretty weak challenger six years ago; so, Democrats are trying to figure out what high profile candidate could give the Senator a run for his money. From Lt Governor Jerry Abramson to President Obama’s top fundraiser Matthew Barzun, there are a lot of names in play, but one is attracting far more attention than the rest: Ashley Judd.

The Hollywood actress, outspoken Democratic advocate and hardcore Kentucky basketball fan has spoken of her desire to hold office in the past, but she hasn’t yet commented on this specific race. According to The Courier-Journal, however, that silence hasn’t stopped some big names from coaxing her toward the fight. Here’s what US Representative John Yarmuth had to say…

”If you had an Ashley Judd-McConnell race, I think it would be as high profile a race as Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown. The money would pour in here as soon as she entered the race.”

It would be the most high profile Senate race in the country, but that doesn’t mean it’s winnable. McConnell is a powerful man with a war chest that’s already been fully stocked from previous campaigns. Romney carried Kentucky by more than twenty percentage points; so, in order to compete in such a conservative state, Judd would likely need to position herself as a moderate.

This probably won’t be settled in the next few days, but within the next six months, some Democrats are going to need to start raising money. We’ll see if Judd is among them.